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Effectiveness of rehabilitation in active ankylosing spondylitis assessed by the ASAS response criteria
E Lubrano1, S D'Angelo, W J Parsons
1Rheumatology & Rehabilitation Research Unit, Maugeri Foundation IRCCS, Research Institute for Rehabilitative Medicine, Telese Terme (BN), 82037, Italy. enniolubrano@hotmail.com
Objective:
To assess the effectiveness of rehabilitation in a group of patients with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS) by the Assessment in Ankylosing Spondylitis (ASAS) Working Group response criteria.
Methods:
Fifty-two active AS patients consecutively admitted to a rehabilitation inpatient clinic were enrolled. Patients underwent a 3-week intensive rehabilitation programme and were then discharged with home exercises. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of patients achieving a response based on ASAS 20 at discharge, and at 6 and 12 weeks after. Secondary outcome measures included an improvement in the Revised Leeds Disability Questionnaire (RLDQ) and function expressed as anthropometric measures.
Results:
The ASAS 20 was achieved in 46 patients (88.5%) at the end of the rehabilitation, in 31 (59.6%) and in 17 (32.7%) patients at 6 and 12 weeks follow-up, respectively. The percentage of ASAS 20 responders statistically declined over time measured from the end of rehabilitation compared with 6 (P < 0.001) and 12 weeks follow-up (P < 0.001).
Conclusion:
The present study shows the effectiveness of rehabilitation as assessed by the ASAS 20, a validated instrument for treatment response, suggesting its usage in rehabilitation settings. Moreover, the results obtained show that the effectiveness of the intensive inpatient rehabilitation declined over time.
